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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28422396">Champagne Problems</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acalculia/pseuds/Acalculia'>Acalculia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The West Wing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Episode: s04e15 Inauguration: Over There</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:53:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,559</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28422396</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acalculia/pseuds/Acalculia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't fair, Donna thought, it wasn't fair at all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Josh Lyman/Donna Moss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Champagne Problems</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>I dropped your hand while dancing, left you out there standing crestfallen on the landing, champagne problems. </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>It wasn’t fair</em>, Donna thought, it wasn’t fair at all.</p><p> </p><p>He should still be raging at her. Like he had last night, after she’d called CJ and then, terrified, waited for her phone to ring again. He’d called her, and paged her, about 5 times in the preceding half hour but she knew that when she picked up the phone this time she wouldn’t be greeted with Josh’s jovial tone and an incessant invitation that she join him, Toby and CJ on a celebratory bar trip. She’d dutifully listened to him, voice hard with anger and disappointment, lecture her for her poor timing, for distracting from the inaugural speech he and Toby and Will had spent weeks working on and for her naivety dealing with reporters, knowing that she knew better than that. She’d even accept how he was this morning, as he’d called her again, biting words reminding her of his frustration even as his tone softened and he insisted she come to the inauguration they had both worked so hard to ensure happened.</p><p> </p><p>His anger, she felt, was completely justified. She’d spent all day desperate for him to work out it wasn’t her who had been foolish enough to give that quote to the researcher but also secretly hoping he believed her lie. Besotted, resentful to the institution sending her boyfriend away and thoughtless enough to let that slip to a reporter was one thing but what she really didn’t want was for him to see her as a silly girl throwing it all away for a man that she knew was nothing at the end of the day. That was a habit she had thought she had broken but once again, Josh had had a front row ticket to her personal failings. What was it that he had said? <em>Her desire to be coupled up will always and forever drown out any sense of self or self-worth that she may have. </em>Those words echoed in her head sometimes, a moment she knew Josh was not proud of, he’d apologised later, but that cut to the core of exactly what she never wanted to be- an idiotic little girl so desperate to be loved that she’d discard everything if it meant she wouldn’t be alone. She really didn’t want him to ever see her like that again.  </p><p> </p><p>But now, there was none of the disdain or anger or disappointment that she felt he rightly deserved to show. He was simply holding her close and gently swaying, dancing her around his office.  </p><p> </p><p>By this evening he’d barely seemed annoyed anymore. He called her again and practically begged her to still come to the Inaugural Balls. His voice was whiny and a little obnoxious as he told her that no one was really that angry, that she deserved a night of celebration, and then quieter when he breathed out that he’d missed her at the ceremony and would have absolutely no fun if she wasn’t there with him. She’d gotten ready, hair curled and makeup on and then decided that she couldn’t face it. These people had done so much for her and she had betrayed them. So when he called again, she sat in her ball gown and spent 15 minutes batting down every defence he offered up, there was too much shame, she didn’t deserve to be there today, it was inappropriate to flaunt around at a ball for an administration she had embarrassed.</p><p> </p><p>Donna knew he had figured it out when both home and mobile phone and her pager started beeping all together.  She had picked up, a little nervous, but all he said was ‘<em>you better be ready when I get there’</em>. And then he had shown up at her apartment, a gang of merry men in tow. Important men who he had dragged out of a party, across town and into the cold night. He had convinced them that she, despite her failings and the headache her stupidity had caused for several members of their party, was worthy of this adventure, was missed at the party, was so important to the team, <em>to Josh</em>, the they had to risk frostbite and a public nuisance citation to make sure she was with them. That alone made her brain feel a little fuzzy. She’d heard them before she saw them, yelling in the street and throwing snowballs like some insane teenagers not grown men wielding the significant power and wide respect they held. He had yelled and joked and bantered and then completely taken her breath away. <em>You look amazing</em>.</p><p> </p><p>The cab was raucous with laughter as they teased Charlie on the way back to the White House, Josh’s arm securely around her waist in lieu of a seatbelt. She’d lost track of which Ball they were up to, barely through the doors, when they were summoned by the President. Josh’s hand on her lower back guiding her through the halls as if she didn’t spend all day every day in this building and needed his direction. Despite the splendour and the tuxedos and the ball gowns, this was a work night. After glad-handing and smooth-talking the guests, Josh raised his eyebrows and tilted his head towards the door. Donna grabbed a plate full of finger food and 2 glasses of champagne and found herself back in his office.   </p><p> </p><p>They worked quietly and steadily for a while, each sitting on one side of his desk. Eventually, Josh had signed loudly, stretched and rounded the desk to stand beside her. The bullpen was deserted, Donna could hear noise gently filtering from the State Room, not quite loud enough to make out the music playing as the last stragglers trickled out.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry about this,” Josh murmured, gesturing towards the pile of notecards Donna had been preparing.   </p><p> </p><p>“No rest for the wicked, Wild Thing” Donna smiled up at him, dropping her file on the desk and passing him one of the champagne flutes. She continued, “I am really sorry about the quote Josh, I…”</p><p> </p><p>Josh took the champagne from her and raised his other hand, “I know, I don’t want to hear it. Just as long as you know how <em>stupid</em> throwing yourself under the bus for Commander Wonderful was. You’re worth more than that Donna”</p><p> </p><p>Donna hung her head slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“Now come on”, he brightened, handing her the other champagne, clinking their glasses together and taking a swig, “I didn’t drag you out of your apartment to work, I promised you at least one dance.”</p><p> </p><p>And now, they were standing in his office, dancing. One of her hands was wrapped around his shoulders, one of his resting lightly on her back, slightly lower than would probably be considered workplace appropriate, their other hands clutched together and her head tucked into his shoulder. She knew that she should be sad about Jack Reese- how he’d left the country or at least upset that he’d thought so little of her in the end that he was happy to see her throw herself down for him, but she was so wrapped up in Josh she couldn’t care. They had danced together many times, balls and State Dinners and drunken nights at bars all over the campaign trail. But this was different, there was no rowdy senior staff dancing alongside them, no crowd watching them, no mutterings about Josh Lyman and his assistant, it was quiet and almost bittersweet.</p><p> </p><p>Donna let herself think about this, about all of this. They had been playing this game for years but she didn’t think that the line had ever been so perilously and openly flouted. Despite how much she knew she had hurt him, Josh had spent all day chasing her. He hadn’t stopped trying to reassure her of her place on the team, of her worth to him. He had picked her up from her wallowing and then whisked her out of one of the parties, tucked her into his arms and was now swaying her lightly, completely savouring the moment. This was dangerous. Her hand was itching to grab the nape of his neck, to pull him in to her lips. She breathed in slowly, knowing how this must end.</p><p> </p><p>She dropped his hand and ignored the puzzled look in his eyes as he brought his head up to look at her. She’d pulled back so quickly he was still standing there with his arms up. She gave him a small smile as she sat again, picking up the folder from where it lay on the desk. She tried desperately not to notice how disappointed he looked, how he turned away from her for a moment before sitting down himself, heavily, toes tapping against hers lightly under the desk. They kept it light and playful as they finished their work, both acutely aware of the moment and of that god forsaken line. She allowed herself one more split second of weakness as they walked out of the building and he helped her into a cab, gently kissing his cheek and whispering “<em>Thanks Josh, for everything”</em>. She gave a small wave as they rounded the corner and he was out of sight before letting her head fall back against the headrest.          </p><p>  </p><p>It really wasn’t fair at all.</p>
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